As millions watch the election results for Congressional races across America tonight, thousands of state legislative races will fly under the radar of most political pundits. Even though these state legislative races will receive little ink in the mainstream press, their outcomes will influence national politics for years to come. The importance of state legislative control will be showcased after the 2010 Census, when states will begin the task of redrawing legislative districts – for state legislative seats and Congressional seats alike.
As the GOP prepares to make major gains in Congress tonight, political observers should also keep a close eye on numerous state legislative bodies that could also experience a seismic shift in the direction of conservatives. Overall, some observers suggest that Republicans could realize a net gain of more than 500 state legislative seats.
See the list below for a quick breakdown of some of the most closely contested legislative chambers. Note that Democrats are not expected to capture control of a single GOP-held chamber.
State legislative bodies considered “in play:”
Dem to GOP
- Alabama: House and Senate
- Colorado: House and Senate
- Delaware: House
- Indiana: House
- Iowa: House and Senate
- Maine: Senate
- Michigan: House
- New Hampshire: House and Senate
- New York: Senate
- North Carolina: House and Senate
- Ohio: House
- Pennsylvania: House
- Wisconsin: House and Senate
- Split to GOP
- Alaska: Senate
- Montana: House
GOP to Dem
- None
Alongside significant GOP gains in gubernatorial races (where the RealClearPolitics average predicts a net GOP gain of seven seats), these state legislative races could very well reshape politics in many states for the years to come.
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